On September 15th, the Los Angeles Clippers announced the signing of free agent forward Matt Barnes to a one year contract. According to Barnes, All-Star point guard Chris Paul was instrumental in the deal pitching a Barnes contract-offer scenario to Clippers management personally.
“I am extremely happy with the offer and appreciative of Chris’ efforts,” said Barnes. “I am happy to be staying in Los Angeles, my entire life is here.” “I feel very fortunate to be rejoining the Clippers, where I started my NBA career. I love the direction the Organization is heading and feel, from top to bottom, the Clippers have the deepest team in the NBA.” Barnes went on to add, “I would like to thank the Lakers Organization for the opportunity these past two seasons – it was a privilege and an honor to be able to put that jersey on every night.” I would also like to thank the fans and the City of LA for all of their continued support.”
During his downtime post-Lakers, Barnes devoted a great deal of time to the non-profit foundation he created, Athletes vs. Cancer, a collaborative initiative aimed at uniting athletes and fans alike for the purpose of fundraising for programs ranging from cancer screenings for low-income families to direct support to those affected by the disease. This summer, for the fifth consecutive year, Barnes also hosted the Matt Barnes EA Sports Camp, with more than 110 kids participating in a week of basketball-packed activities and clinics taught by Barnes and former college and former and current pro friends. Aside from the Clippers, Lakers and Suns, Barnes has also played for the Sacramento Kings, New York Knicks, Philadelphia 76ers, Golden State Warriors and Orlando Magic during his nine year pro basketball career.
A UCLA grad, Barnes helped lead the Bruins to the NCAA Tournament in all four of his seasons at UCLA, including three straight appearances in the Sweet Sixteen. Press Report source Cheryl Lynch
Learn More About Matt Barnes:
http://www.facebook.com/MattBarnes9
https://twitter.com/Matt_Barnes22
http://www.mattbarnes9.com/ http://www.athletesvscancer.org/ http://www.facebook.com/pages/Athletes-vs-Cancer/216571848426874
